1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image reproducing method and apparatus for reproducing as a visible image image signals obtained from a color image on a reflective original such as a photograph, a print or the like or a transmission original such as a negative film, a reversal film or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently there has been developed a digital photographic printer in which image information recorded on a photographic film such as a negative film, a reversal film or the like or a print is photoelectrically read out and is converted into a digital image signal, the digital image signal is subjected to various image processings and a photosensitive material such as a photographic paper is scanned by a recording light beam modulated according to the processed image signal, thereby recording a visible image on the photosensitive material.
In the digital photographic printer, editing of an image such as synthesis of a plurality of images into an image and division of an image, layout of an print image such as editing of characters and an image, and various image processings such as adjustment of color and/or density, adjustment of scale, contour enhancement and the like can be freely carried out, and a print freely edited or processed according to its purpose can be output. Further in a conventional print by surface exposure, it is impossible to reproduce the whole image density information carried by the film or the like due to limitation in the reproducible density range of a photosensitive material. However by the digital photographic printer, it is possible to reproduce the image density information carried by the film to almost 100%.
Such a digital photographic printer basically comprises a read-out means which reads out an image recorded on an original such as a photographic film, and an image recording means which carries out an image processing on an image signal obtained in order to determine exposure conditions and the like which are used in recording a visible image, causes an exposure light beam to scan a photosensitive material according to the exposure conditions determined, develops the exposed photosensitive material and displays a visible image on a monitor.
In the read-out means, for instance, in the case of a slit scanning, a line reading light is projected onto the film while the film is fed in a direction perpendicular to the line reading light (or the reading light and the photoelectric converter element are moved), thereby two-dimensionally scanning the film. The transmission light which is transmitted through the film and carries thereon image information is focused on the light receiving face of the photoelectric converter element such as a CCD line sensor and is converted into an electric image signal. The electric image signal carrying thereon data on the amount of light is amplified and converted to a digital image signal through an A/D conversion. Then the digital image signal is subjected to various image processings such as compensation for fluctuation in properties of the CCD element, density conversion, adjustment of scale and the like and transferred to the image recording means.
In the image recording means, the image signal is reproduced as a visible image on a display such as a CRT. The operator observes the reproduced visible image and, if necessary carries out a gradation correction, a color/density correction and the like (setting of setup conditions) on the reproduced image, and transfers the corrected image signal to a printer or a monitor as a recording image signal when the reproduced image becomes satisfactory as a finished print.
In the printer, in the case of a raster scan (light beam scanning) image recording system, three color light beams, e.g., red, green and blue light beams, corresponding to photosensitive layers for the three colors formed in the photosensitive material are modulated according to the recording image signals and the modulated light beams are deflected in a main scanning direction while the photosensitive material is fed in a direction substantially normal to the main scanning direction (sub-scanning), whereby the photosensitive material is two-dimensionally scanned by the modulated light beams and an image on the film is recorded on the photosensitive material as a visible image.
After exposure to the recording light beam, the photosensitive material is subjected to a development processing according to the kind of the photosensitive material. For example, when the photosensitive material is a silver salt photosensitive material, color forming/development, bleaching/fixing, washing and drying are carried out in sequence and then finished prints are output.
Sometimes trimming is carried out on a photographic film to extract a part of the image recorded on the film. However there has not been proposed a satisfactory method of carrying out such trimming in an image reproducing apparatus where a digital image signal is obtained from a photographic film, the digital image signal is processed and an image is recorded on a photosensitive material according to the processed image signal as described above.